Montenegro nab suspected 'Pink Panther'

PODGORICA, Montenegro – Montenegrin police say they have arrested an alleged member of the international gang of jewel thieves known as the Pink Panthers.

The police identified the man as Igor Jocic, a citizen of neighboring Serbia. They said he was trying to cross the border between the two Balkan states. They did not specify the alleged crime he has committed.

The members of the gang are believed by Interpol to be from Balkan countries. They are the prime suspects in a series of thefts that have netted over euro120 million ($175 million) of jewels and watches over the past decade in Europe, Asia and the Persian Gulf.

The international police have said over 25 arrests have been made in recent years and 400 people are being investigated. The Pink Panther gang is named after the 1963 movie starring Peter Sellers as the bungling Inspector Clouseau.